Humidifier.



F. & J. L INDMEIER.

H-UMIDIFIER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 11.1918.

Patented Sept. 17, 1918.

FREDERICK LINDMEIER AND J USTUS LINDMEIER, 01 OAK PARK, ILLINOIS.

HUMIDIFIER.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, FREDERICK LIND- MEIER and JUs'rUs LINDMEIER, citizens of the United States, residing at 735 North Grove avenue, Oak Park, in thecounty of Cook and State of Illinois, and 819 Woodbine avenue, Oak Park, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, respectively, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Humidifiers, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description,

reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to combined humidifiers and radiators. It is applicable to either steam or hot water heating systems. The object of our invention is to provide a humidifying apparatus by means of which an adequate amount of moisture will be supplied to the air from the evaporation which may be brought about entirely within a radiator. The object of our invention is to provide a wick or absorbent member within a radiator and to supply it with moisture at or near the top so that gravity will aid in distributing the moisture to the extremities of the absorbent member. Another object of our invention is to provide means for automatically supplying the water to the wick moistening reservoir and to prevent the water which may drip from the wick or absorbent member from wetting the floor.

Our invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a radiator partly broken away and containing our humidifying apparatus;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the radiator shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of an ordinary radiator to which our invention has been applied; and

Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the radiator shown in Fig. 3.

Similar characters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In Fig. 1 a radiator comprising ordinary sections 5 is also provided with special sections 6, 7, 8, and 9. These latter sectioris each have outer heating columns 10 and 11 and one or more inner heating columns 12, the latter being terminated at a point somewhat below the top of the radiator and connected with the outer columns 10 and 11 by means of a cross conduit 13. Above the Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 1'7, 1918. Application filed February 11, 1918.

Serial No. 216,460.

conduits 13 of adjacent radiator sections is thus provided an opening into which is placed a tank or reservoir 15 which may rest directly upon the cross conduit 13 or may be insulated therefrom. The sections 6, 7, 8, and 9 are also provided with cooperating flanges 16 adapted to be brought together, as shown in our Patent No. 1,249,432, to form a lower chamber the parts of which are integral with the radiator. The sections 6 and 9 are also provided with integral end plates 17 and 18 which form the ends of the lower reservoir. A pipe 18 supplies water to the upperreservoir 15 from any suitable source, which may be the condensed steam from the steam heating system, water from a water heating system, or may be from water mains, or a suitable distant and elevated reservoir. In the pipe 18 we provide the cooks 19 and 20, the cook 19 being controlled through the float 21 and lever 22 so that when the float rises to a level something less than that at which the water will overflow the lower reservoir the cook 19 is shut off: The cock 20 is controlled by the float'23 and lever 24: so that the flow of water will be stopped before the level reaches an overflowing height. Extending within the tank 15 and overhanging both edges thereof are the wicks 26. The inner ends of these are preferably weighted by means of rods 27 extending through hems, although other means of weighting will be obvious. The outer portions of the wicks 26 maybe terminated at a point above the cross con-" duit 13 or may be shredded so as to hang considerably below the cross conduit.

In Figsj3 and 4 two tanks 30 and 31 take the place of the one tank of Figs. 1' and 2. The tanks 30 and 31 are mad very thin so that they may be placed within the slots of an ordinary radiator. Near the bottom of the radiator tanks 32 and 33 are similarly ositioned in the slots. When our invention is applied to standard radiators, as in Figs. 3 and 4, the wicks 34 and 35 are preferably made of sufficient length that they extend into the lower tanks for the purpose hereinafter described. No automatic means is shown for filling the tanks illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, but it is to be understood that these tanks may be filled by means similar to that provided for the humidifiers of Figs. 1 and 2 or may be filled by hand, as occasion demands, the same being true of the type of humidifier illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

"In the operation of the humidifier of Figs. l and 2 water flows into the upper reservoir through the cocks 19 and 20 until the float 23 has risen to a predetermined level 16 and end plates 17 and 18 extends laterally somewhat beyond the width of the tank 15 so that if water drips from the lower edges of the wicks 26 it will be caught and retained by the lower receptacle. By suitably adjusting the length of the wicks 26 and, therefore, their radiating surface the atmosphere may be maintained at its proper humidity and at the same time the water may be evaporated from the wicks at such a rate that in; the ordinary operation no drip will occur from the lower edge of the wick. During the night, however, when the radiator is allowed to cool off or when the radiator becomes cool by reason of the circulation of water or steam being restricted the evaporation substantially ceases though the absorption of the wicks continues. At this time water will accumulate along the lower edge of the wicks and will drip off into the lower receptacle. This will continue until sufficient water has been collected in the lower receptacle to raise the lower float to a position at which the cock 19 will be closed. When the heat is again turned on the water which has been collected in the lower reservoir will gradually evaporate so that the operation of the humidifier may continue. If desired the wicks 26 may be made long enough to dip into the water of the lower receptacle, which somewhat facilitates the evaporation.

In the operation of the humidifier illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 the same principle is involved. In this case, however, because of the limited width of the lower receptacles 32 and 33 the wicks are preferably carried within the lower receptacles so that the water will not under any circumstances drip over the edges and onto the floor. Suitable means, not shown, may .be provided for drawing off the water from the lower receptacle in case it has not sufiiciently evaporated at the time the heat is to be turned off.

We have found coarse linen cloth to be most suitable for the absorbent wicks. We have also found that this material may be maintained moisteven though heated in a dry atmosphere throughout more than a foot in height when the water is applied as by our invention, whereas if applied only at the lower edge of the material it will ascend only a very few inches It is to this particular feature of our invention that we attribute its great efliciency as an air moistening device capable of operation within a very limited space.

Although not herein illustrated it is to be understood that controlling means shown and described in our application Serial No. 203,490, filed November 23, 1917, may be used in conjunction with the present invention and that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of our invention.

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a combined radiator and humidifier the combination with upper and lower water receptacles within the radiator of supply means for furnishing water to the upper receptacle, a float in each receptacle, and means for cutting off the supply of water to the upper receptacle when the water has reached a predetermined level in either the upper or the lower receptacle.

2. In a combined radiator and humidifier the combination with upper and lower receptacle's within the radiator, of a wick moistened by water from the upper receptacle and adapted under certain conditions to drip into the lower receptacle, and means in each receptacle for cutting ofi' thewater FREDERICK 'LINDMEIER. J USTUS LINDMEIER.

Witnesses ALBIN CAHLBERG, ANDREW IVINTERCORN. 

